Amid Summer...Was it a Dream?
by Glitterfly
Summary: A summer fling gone sour will bring about better things.
1. Chapter 1

Georgia stared out the window, then looked at her watch. One more glance out the window, one more peek at her watch. She seemed to be very impatient. "Where is he?" she thought. "I waited four months for this very day, and now he doesn't arrive!" Indeed, she was frustrated. However a certain aura of hope seemed to float around her. Though she was frustrated, it was out of anxiety. She couldn't wait for him to arrive.  
  
It had all started almost two years before...  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
She was still the new girl around, having arrived recently from England to stay with her Uncle Kloppmann. While most of the newsies seemed in awe of her at times, for her polished manners and correct way of speaking, he had barely even looked her way. She, in turn, hadn't really noticed him either. He wasn't her type, why should she? She used to think she liked lovey-dovey fellows, and he was the exact opposite. But one day she found herself looking around for him. At first she didn't even realize she was looking for anything. When suddenly, he emerged from around a corner in the big lobby and her heart skipped a beat.  
  
"Georgia!" she scolded herself, "what on earth are you thinking? You've never even looked his way before, how could you be interested in someone you barely even know?" She turned her gaze towards the floor and tried to direct her thoughts elsewhere. Anywhere: "My, the floor definitely needs some polishing. Why, with all us newsies running around in our old boots, it is doomed to tarnish sometime." She heard movement behind her and quickly raised her head. It wasn't him. "Oh, darn," she thought. Then she realized what she had just done. "Oh, bother!" she exclaimed out loud, and scurried away from the room, leaving weird looks behind her.  
  
Over months, she found herself paying more and more attention to him, and she tried to avoid it at all cost. She tried to fool herself into believing she was not the least bit interested. It was hard, though; and his teasing manner did nothing to help. In addition she couldn't deny the twinges of sharp pain she felt when she saw him prance about with other girls. And that was quite often. Indeed he was very popular among the ladies, and liked well enough among the fellows. Still, he wasn't exactly the type of date you'd feel comfortable taking home to meet your folks. This thought didn't really apply to her, though, for her parents were gone and she lived in a lodging house.  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
She smirked when she remembered how she had actually had that thought She looked around her. It was empty today. Everyone was out selling, or getting a bite to eat, or just enjoying the lovely day. Alone or together, everyone was somewhere. She was the only one in. All she could do was wait. Wait for him to arrive. Another impatient glance out the window. She shuddered at another memory....  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
When she finally thought she had supressed her feelings for Mr. Rugged, it was because someone else had entered her life; Mr. Hypocrisy. She met him before Mr. R and she truly despised him at the beginning. Somehow along the line, her dislike started withering away into a cautious friendship, which eventually progressed into something else. What exactly, she couldn't define. The talks late at the night, the inside jokes, the (pseudo)feeling of mutual understanding, had it ever been love? She doubted it now. It had come very close to being an 'official' relationship, though. All that was missing was a kiss to seal the deal. Thankfully it never happened.  
  
Mr. Hypocrisy hadn't always had that name in her mind though.There was a time when he could be thought of with much nicer names. He had earned this one though. For as Georgia later found out, he had been deceiving her. What was worse, with a close friend of hers. She and Sophia had a serious and overwhelming conversation one day; they both compared their ends of the story and discovered, with a mix of shock and disgust, which things he had said to both of them, what sweet talk he had given one while making the other feel unique, the lies he had told. After some tears and angry words, they reached the conclusion that his mental equilibrium couldn't possibly be stable. That 'answer' lessened the horrible feeling of being cheated. It was something hard to recover from though, for both of them. They had each placed so much trust in their relationship with him.  
  
Then Mr. Rugged came back into Georgia's life. Her breathing still became irregular when he was near, her pulse still quickened. But now things began to get more serious. And one week in July, something happened. She was feeling a bit blue one day, and decided she had nothing to lose. She'd give it a shot, try to get the message through. So they were leaning over the balcony, watching the sky with some other people around them. She inched closer to him, and held her breath, but he didn't move away. In fact, he seemed to pick up the cue. Something sparked up between them, and suddenly they were in a fun stage of their relationship; the kind of awkward stage where all that has to be done is the first move, and the rest will be history.  
  
The next night, she felt a bit queasy. Maybe it was the sudden heat wave, maybe the small amount of food she had eaten; less than she usually did, which was already unhealthy in itself. "Gee, you feelin' ok?" Bookie asked her. "She's right Gee, you do seem kinda pale," Racetrack commented. They were all sitting on couches in the lobby, and she tried to brush off the two's worries by showing she could get up. "No, I'm fine, really, I just need to get some fresh --" before she could say 'air' she half- collapsed back against the couch. "Whoa! Bookie, gimme a hand 'ere!" Race exclaimed. "Uh, Gee, I think you should lie down a little," Bookie replied while helping Race straighten her out. "In a bed," Race emphasized, when she tried to lie down on the couch. "Come on," he continued "I'll take ya ta da boy's bunkroom, its kinda empty now since all da guys are..." he gestured with his free hand "well, ya can see."  
  
All around them, newsboys and newsgirls were engaged in conversations, in games of cards, and the like. It was a Sunday and they were letting out their steam before a new week began. To the newsies though, there wasn't much of a margin between one week and the other. Monday was only the first day of the week by tradition. Their lives were a continuous week, getting up every single day to sell papes. Be it a monday or a saturday.  
  
"Oh, fine," Gee answered. She felt very weak by then, and she allowed Race and Bookie to help her up the stairs and into the bunkroom. "Where shall we put 'er, Race?" Bookie asked. "Ovah heah, Tax's bunk. Its right by da window so she can git da fresh air she was needin'." They gently placed her on a bed next to the window. "No, wait..." she mumbled. Then she thought to herself "this is HIS bed! I don't want him to see me here, all pale and sweaty and..." But she was too tired to protest. Her head slipped down on the pillow and she dozed off before she could utter a 'thank you'.  
  
Race and Bookie watched over her for a few minutes. "DÃ½'ya think she'll get bettah?", Race wondered out loud. "Yeah, she'll be just fine," Bookie smiled, thinking of how considerate he was. "Now come on, let's get back downstairs and let 'er rest." She linked her arm into his and he turned around and smiled. "Shoah, let's go see if Snipes wants ta roll me fer dat cigar he stole dis mornin'!" Race exclaimed, acting all grand. They both laughed their way out of the room and down the stairs.  
  
An hour had passed, then another. A few people drifted in and out of the room but Gee hardly noticed. She was still rather dizzy and couldn't bother opening her eyes. However, at one point, she felt a familiar presence nearby. She managed to open one eye and caught her breath upon seeing Tax and Bumlets standing in the doorway. "Who's dat in me bunk?" Tax questioned. "Oh, its Gee," Bumlets replied. "Race an' Bookie tole me an' Illy dat they put 'er up heah cuz she wasn't feelin' too good". He didn't really seem affected by this and turned around, ready to go back downstairs. "Hey Illusion, you done already?" he shouted up the stairs to the girls' bunkroom. "Shhhhh Bumlets!!! Don't yell, Gee's sick!!! An' hold yer horses, I ain't done!" Illy shouted back in an equally loud voice. "Whaddaya mean y'ain't done? What da heck you'se doin' up dere anyway?" Bumlets yelled again.  
  
Tax shook his head at the two; they were constantly bickering. They always made up and ended in a cuddle, though. Chuckling, he shut the door and walked over to his bunk to check on Gee. She had been half-oblivious to the whole scene. All she noticed was Tax so closeby. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe normally as he approached. Tax sat down on the bed, quite close to her. She opened one eye and managed a weak smile. "I'm sorry," she said faintly, "you must want to go to bed, I'll get up". She raised herself up on her elbows. Tax chuckled once more. "Yer not goin' anywhere. I jist wan'ed ta check if Bumlets an' Illy woke ya up. How d'ya feel, by da way?". Gee giggled. "Bumlets and Illusion bickering again? Naw, they didn't wake me up, thats one sound I've become real used to by now." They both let out a laugh.Then an awkward moment of silence settled in, as Tax stared openly into her eyes.  
  
When she held his gaze, he quickly turned away. "Er, so.. didja eat anythin'?" Tax asked her. "Ya must be hungry." "No, not really but I don't feel like eating anyway..." she replied. "Nonsense," he said, "you'se sick, you'se gonna eat, period. I'se gonna go down an' git me suppah, I'll git somet'in fer you." "No, its ok, really..." Gee tried to protest, but Tax held up his hand. "Na-na-na, not one more woid outta you. Now rest, ya heah me? I'll check back on ya latah" and gently,in a playful manner, he pushed her back down onto the bed. She giggled once more, and agreed by nodding and closing her eyes. He got up and looked at her for a minute before turning his back and leaving the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the windowpane... Gee sighed with delight as the memory of that night refreshed itself in her mind. Though four months ago, she still got the goosebumps as if it had just happened. Now she got up and began pacing around the room. Sudenly she realized someone had just returned, she heard footsteps coming towards the lobby. "Hey, Gee! Whatcha doin' here, goil?" Fiesty appeared, dusty from walking around the city during the morning. "Whoo, I'se hot!" she continued, wiping her brow with the back of her arm. She rested her hands, fingers ink-stained from carrying papes for so long, against the back of a chair and leaned over.  
  
"Hello, Fiesty You're right, it is quite hot. I'm just sitting around watching time pass by, I guess." "Uh-huh. And he still didn't come, right?" Fiesty said with a witty look on her face. "No, he didn't, he -- " Gee answered absently, then caught herself. "Uh, what? Who are you talking about, Fiesty? I'm not waiting for anyone..." she tried to clear her throat and felt a warm blush working its way up to her cheeks. "Awww Gee come on, you kin tell me, you know I'se not gonna say a woid to nobody about it. I know you'se waitin' fer Tax, and don't even try ta say no, look at yourself, you'se all flushed!" Gee paced around for another full minute before lifting her gaze from the floor and answering. "Oh, fine. You've got me. Yes, I am waiting for Tax. But --"  
  
Fiesty cut her off "I knew it!!! Whoopee! I'se so good at knowin' dese t'ings... Come on goil, tell me all!" She removed her hands from the back of the chair and walked around it, sitting down. Then she flashed a childlike grin at Gee. "I'se all ears." Gee couldn't help but letting out a laugh at that look. "Oh, all right. I suppose I could tell you about the night it all started. But you're sworn to secrecy, you hear me?" she gave Fiesty a serious look. Fiesty nodded obediently. "Shoah shoah, you kin trust me, now jist git on wid da good stuff!" Gee sighed and sat back down on the windowpane, this time turned towards the room. "Well, remember the night I didn't feel well and Bookie and Race put me up in the boys' bunkroom?" Fiesty nodded eagerly. "I was drinkin' , but yeah, I remember. Ooooh, you were in his bunk, werentcha?" Gee acknowledged this with another flush of embarassment. "Yes Fiesty but oh, it was nothing like that! See, what happened was..."  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
Gee heard someone knocking on the door. She wondered if she should bother answering, then waited a minute, and as expected, the door barged open. "Heya Geeg! Whassa mattah wid you?" She heard JD's familiar voice and saw his shape against the light flooding in from the hallway. "Oh, hi JD," she mumbled. "Nothing, I just don't feel so fine..." "Mmmm...ya shoah about dat? You'se lookin' perdy fine from where I'se standin'!"he commented, scratching his chin. "Oh, JD..." Gee muttered. Usually she'd get upset, but she was in a relatively good mood after Tax's visit. "Jist kiddin', kid. Heah, I got some soup an' bread fer ya. Tax said you'se not feelin' well and I wanted ta come up an' check on ya. He tole me ta bring up dis food while I was at it." "Oh, thank you."she answered, touched by his attention. He sat down on the bunk next to her and handed her the food.  
  
She tried to hide her disappointment that Tax hadn't brought the food up himself; she had been expecting him. "Oh well," she thought. "Why'd you think he'd come anyway? So he smiled at you, so what? He does that quite often with quite a number of people,and - " she just realized JD was making some wisecrack , though she hadn't heard about what . She only noticed because he was using a tone of voice they were all used to, since he was always making some comment about something. "Mmm what? Sorry Jay, I didn't hear you." He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head. "Aw not'in, ferget about it. Anyway, guess I'll be on me way now. Want me ta turn da light on so ya can see your food an' don't accidentally fall asleep in it?" She let out a small laugh. "Hope you feel bettah soon, kid. Lemme know if ya need anythin'." With that he walked away and turned the lamp on, before shutting the door again. Gee let out a small sigh of discontent and stared at her bowl of soup. Deciding she wasn't in such a good mood anymore, she placed it on top of the small dresser between Tax's bunk and the one next to it.  
  
She turned on her side, her back to the door, and tried to doze off again.  
  
More than a half hour later, she heard pounding up the stairs. She woke up from her light sleep and wondered... suddenly the door flung open and Skittery walked in. "Oh, sorry," he said upon seeing her, "I didn't know you were heah. But wait, whatcha doin' heah anyway? Dis ain't yer bunkroom." He shut the lamp off and huffed his way over to his bunk. "Ack. Dat Moneybags knows how ta get on me noives. She only wins da poker games I'm in. It must be a conspiracy or somet'in," he blurted out, before waiting for her reply. Gee wasn't fully aware of what he was talking about, but she figured it must have to do with the games going on downstairs. Skittery lay back on his bunk, his feet hanging over the rail and his hands behind his head. Gee now heard someone else climbing the stairs and turned with curiosity towards the door. Once again it flung open and she could make out Whiskey's figure in the doorway. "Skittery." she said in a flat tone. Gee could see a cigarette between her left fingers and a bottle wedged in her front pocket.  
  
Skittery raised his head and looked towards the doorway. "What?" he replied in the same flat tone. To someone who didn't know the two, it'd seem as if they were ready to bite each other's head off; however the newsies all knew that they were very good friends. That was just their way of talking. Whiskey took a slow puff of her cigarette. "Get da hell back down dere. Dat was so childish! I can't believe you!" Skittery pouted and indeed sounded like a child when he said "But she always wins when I play, Whiskey! It ain't fair!" Blowing out smoke, she retorted: "So? Sittin' up here ain't gonna do no good. Now git yer ass back down dere and let's play anuddah hand. Sometime you gotta win!" she guffawed. Skittery stared in her direction. He remained silent for a couple of minutes, and Whiskey seemed used to this reaction of his. She waited, dragging on her cigarette the whole time. She hadn't even noticed Gee until then. "Oh, hey. Ya sick or somet'in?" she didn't bother to wait for an answer. "Skittery, I'm leavin'. Eiddah ya come or ya stay heah mopin'. Yer call." She paused before adding "You big baby," letting out a cackle. He continued to stare at her. A slow smile spread across his lips. "Aww, fine. One moah hand. But if she wins again..." he leaped off the bunk and walked out after Whiskey, who had already started out in front of him. "'Ey Specs! Heah we come!".  
  
"Whoo. Those two are quite a handful," Gee thought to herself. She heard peals of laughter, mingled with swearing and bets being placed, float out the lobby window and in through the bunkroom's; Whiskey and Skittery had surely arrived downstairs. Once more, pounding on the steps. "Oh bother. Who is it now?" she wondered with an angry look on her face. The door opened and she was about to squint to see who it was when she realized she didn't need to. She already knew who it was just by his being there. "Hey sugah, why da long face? Didja miss me?" Tax said, half joking, half not. . "Hmm? Oh, uh, no, I mean, yes, I mean..." he laughed at her flustered reaction and flashed her a wilful smile. Gee melted."Relax goil. You'se too tensed up." He walked over to the bed and she could feel her heart quicken with every step. He stopped before reaching the bed and looked at the dresser, seeing the untouched food. He frowned. "Why didntcha eat?" She felt embarassed now and stuttered once more "Oh, well, I, er, um, I wasn't really, um..." she trailed off, because she really didn't know what to say; her true reason for not eating was that she had been upset because he hadn't brought the food up.  
  
Meanwhile he had moved closer, and sat down on the bed, few inches away from her. She stopped short and couldn't utter another word. Her head still on the pillow, she gazed straight up at him and he positioned himself so that the top part of his body was directly parallel to hers, with a only thin hairline between them "Goil, didn't I tell ya ta eat? You'se sick, you need ta git bettah." She tried to giggle but still couldn't respond. He went to poke her with his right hand but she was quicker and grabbed a hold of both of his hands, making him tumble over her. Now his chin rested on her left shoulder, and both of them heaved with laughter.  
  
Then it happened. In less than a second he raised his head up and brought his lips to hers. She felt numb with amazement and delight. What could she do other than return the kiss? She ardently responded, letting all the feelings that had been bottled up inside her for so long pour out. The kiss seemed to last an eternity and when he did move away, they were both breathless. He straightened himself up. "Well, I'se gonna go down and see how da drinkin' competition between Fiesty and Whiskey's goin'." He gently pushed a wisp of hair away from her eyes then abruptly turned and left the room.  
  
Gee felt like jumping for joy. Even his sudden departure couldn't ruin her mood. She waited until she heard the sound of his footsteps lessen and the shouts of 'where ya been?' and such float up through the window again, to make sure he wasn't within hearing distance. Finally she squealed out of sheer happiness. "HE KISSED ME!" she thought with amazement, her head in the clouds. "I thought he never would, yet he did..." Suddenly she remembered she had seen Snoddy in the room when Race and Bookie brought her up. "Oh my god, did he see anything?" she wondered. A loud snore from a bunk far away answered her question. She giggled and settled back in the bed, getting comfortable. Who knew, she might even sleep here tonight....  
  
*_*_*_* 


	3. Chapter 3

"AAAAAGGGH! He kissed you? Goil, ya know dat half da lodging house, heck, half of New Yawk City would wanna be in yer clothes??? Or should I say, outta dem..." Fiesty laughed teasingly. Gee blushed once more; she was turning a permanent shade of red now. "NO! Fiesty no, nothing like that happened..." "Hey, an' do ya think Snoddy was really sleepin' or jist pretendin'?" "Oh, my! I never thought of that... well he never made any comments about it... don't you think he would crack a joke somewhere, to let us know he knew?" Fiesty pondered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, prob'ly would. Or he woulda tole Moneybags an' she woulda tole us...Kay, go ahead, what now?" Georgia looked at the big clock against the far end of the room. How could he have not arrived yet? "Well, then..."  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
Tax didn't return for hours to follow, and Gee ended up staying in his bed after all. She woke up at about 4 am, and found him asleep sitting against the dresser table, his head hanging down. She felt terrible! "Tax! Psss, Tax!" she whispered. His head snapped up "Huh? Wha'? Oh, mornin'...is it mornin' yet?" he sounded dead tired. "Hey, kin I lie down next ta you fer a bit? I'se really tired and perdy soon we gotta get up fer woik..." Gee felt a thrill rush down her spine. "Of course," she replied, "it is your bed after all!" She was a bit worried about the other newsies seeing them, or especially her Uncle Kloppmann catching them, but she figured they'd still be safe for another hour. Suddenly she felt his body next to hers in the bed. His arm slipped underneath her shoulders and he fell asleep almost instantly. She watched him for a few minutes, still not believing all of this was happening. She went back to sleep; she hadn't felt this peaceful in a long time.  
  
In what seemed like 15 minutes later (but was actually an hour), they heard a clanking sound making its way up the stairs. Tax woke up immediately. "Gee! Gee, wake up! It's ole man Kloppy! 'E's comin' ta wake us up!" "Mmmm?" she sleepily replied, feeling indescribably comfortable in his arms. "KLOPPMANN!" he repeated. That was all it took to jerk her up. "Oh, my, oh no!" she said. All around them, the other newsies were beginning to stir. "Quick, da fiah escape!" he whispered. She stumbled out of his bed and ran outside just a split second before Kloppmann opened the door and started his daily routine: "BOOTS!..." She breathed a sigh of relief and climbed the fire escape as silently as she could.  
  
Halfway up, she paused in horror. "The girls! What will they say?" she thought. She gulped and continued to make her way up to the girls' bunkroom window. Thankfully, it was open and all the girls seemed to be asleep. She tried to climb in as quietly as was physically possible and made her way to her empty bunk. Down below, she could hear the noises the guys made as they got up; the groaning and the slaps and the pushing and joking around and the faucets starting to flow. The girls always had a few more minutes to sleep in because Kloppmann enjoyed waking up the boys more than he did the girls. The boys, he could tease and push around, but with the girls, he just knocked on their door until someone answered and then proceeded to get the rest of the girls up. It was usually a grumpy Bookie, who was not a morning person at all; she had the misfortune of having the closest bunk to the door, though.  
  
Gee was about to lie down when she realized someone was already up. "I can see you'se had a good night's sleep," Mischief commented sarcastically, her dark blue eyes piercing straight across the room. "Um..." Gee tried to think of a comeback, but it was too early in the morning, she was too tired, and plus, it was already plain hard in any situation to try and outwit Mischief , one of the toughest girls in the lodging house. She attempted a frail smile. Mischief, head held sideways, continued to glance at Gee, trying to get some sort of answer out of her. Normally, Gee would be quite intimidated, but today she decided that she was in too good a mood. Her smile gained strength and a dash of secrecy, and she just proceeded to pull the covers up and pretend she was asleep.  
  
Mischief let out a quiet laugh. "Wonder who she was having fun with..." she thought, and made use of waking up so early by jumping out of bed and racing to the door, opening it just before Kloppmann arrived and began banging. "Oh, good mornin' Ms. Behaviour", he said, using his ironic synonym for her newsie name, "Why, aren't we da early boid dis mornin'?" "We? I hate fourth poissin conjugashins of voibs, especially when it refers to someone older den, lessay, 2 years old." she smirked at him, extracting a laugh from the old man. "Oh, whateva, lesse you wakin' up dose newsgoils now, on yer own. Carryin da Bannah!" he exclaimed, walking back downstairs to tease the boys a bit more. He hardly ever entered the girls' bunkroom, trying to respect their space. They wouldn't want to have him around while they changed, that was for sure.  
  
"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE, UP!" Mischief turned back into the room and yelled. This caused a series of groans and complaints and muttering. "Hey, pipe down!What da hell you screamin' fer anyway?" Blizzard asked. "Up! Mornin'! Up! Mornin'! Up! Mornin'!", Mix suddenly jumped out of her own bed, obviously in her crazy mood and determined to help with the morning call. Blizzard got out of bed and walked over to her. "Pipe down," she repeated through gritted teeth. They stood in the center of the room, staring each other down. Mischief looked on with amusement. "Whoooa, both of you. Cool it." Mushie said, coming out of the washroom "It's way too early for dis." Over from her bunk, Gee smiled at the familiar scene. Every day it was the same thing. Arguments and bickering would break out over a pin drop, so early in the morning when almost all of them had gone to sleep late the previous night.  
  
She sat up and watched as people slowly started circulating. Mix and Blizzard huffed away in opposite directions. Nian-Nyan moved about quietly, and started up a conversation with Kody, who giggled her way into the washroom. Whiskey and Fiesty got up wearily, probably with a slight hangover from last night's 'contest'. Cricket glared at Mischief who, still slightly pleased with the little scuffle she had caused, turned to Bookie and Moneybags, and said something about Racetrack; obviously an inside joke which made all three of them laugh. Illusion walked around looking sullen. Passing by Gee's bunk, she paused to ask how she was feeling. "Oh, much better, thank you!" Gee replied . "So whaddaya still lyin' down fer?" she retorted and walked away.  
  
Gee's smile never left her face. She got out of bed and walked towards the washroom, running into Circle K. "Oh hey Gee, ya bettah now? JD tole me you weren' doin' so good last night." "Oh, marvelous, Circle, just marvelous, thanks for asking." The girls all looked at her strangely. Obviously something was up, but at this point in the day, nobody was really in an inquisitive mood. They all just went about with their daily business.  
  
She skipped breakfast and waltzed outside into the New York monday morning. All around her the city was starting to wake up. She could smell the coffee and hear the soft early-morning-singing floating in the air. Picking up on a tune she knew, she started humming along to the words coming out of the second floor of the building in front of the lodging house. Walking towards the distribution center, she could sense a smell very familiar to her by now: the smell of newspapers hot off the printing press. She smiled once more. She was glad she had agreed to become a newsie shortly after she arrived at the lodging house. It had been mostly great fun up until then.  
  
Standing in front of the gate were Tax, Snoddy, and Jack. "Good morning, fellows!" she exclaimed. They turned and gave her the best smiles they could manage at such an early hour. "Mornin'", they replied. Tax walked straight over to her and without saying a word, took her hand. They walked back towards the gate together. Jack and Snoddy said nothing.  
  
Soon all the girls and the rest of the boys from the lodging house showed up. Grasping onto Tax's hand, Gee could see Mushie and Mush walking together, engaged in some private conversation. Skittery, Whiskey, and Specs walked in a pack, not saying much, while Nian-Nyan chattered away to Cricket and an ever-giggling Kody. Swifty followed suit, holding onto Kody's belt from behind. He, in turn, looked sideways while listening to Racetrack tell a joke to whomever was listening. This included Bumlets and Illusion, arms linked, Mischief, and Bookie. Fiesty and Blizzard walked together, while Mix jumped around behind them, and Circle K, hanging on to JD, and Moneybags walked at a steady pace. Snoddy ventured out into the group to greet Moneybags and started talking to JD. Jack waved at both Mix and Blizzard, who headed towards him, apparently forgetting their morning argument. Mostly everyone started cheering up as another day dawned before them. A dozen different conversations were taking place but Gee hardly payed any attention. There she was, leaning against the circulation office's gate, fingers entwined in the one hand she had dreamed of for so long. Life, she decided, was good.  
  
The following two days held pretty much the same routine: waking up early, meeting Tax at the gate, parting to sell papes, and later on getting back together. They'd spent most of the afternoon and practically all of the evening with one another. The other newsies didn't seem to notice anything was up.  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
"Except fer me!" Fiesty cheered. "I knew somet'in was up, I knew it, I knew it! I mean, da way you too were lookin' at each oddah all da time, and spendin' all yer free time togeddah!..." "Shhh Fiesty! Uncle Kloppmann will hear you!" Gee said, preoccupied. "Did I heah me name?" Kloppmann appeared, holding a bucket of paint and a brush, looking inquisitive.Gee let out a gasp. "OH! Uncle Kloppy, no, yes, I mean, you did but..." she stammered. Fiesty came to her rescue:"Yeah, Kloppmann, we was jist talkin' boutchya, as a mattah o' fact. We was wonderin' if ya could help us make it cooler in heah." Gee looked pained at the comment and stopped herself from slapping her forehead. Fiesty just shrugged.  
  
Kloppmann looked from Gee to Fiesty, back to Gee. "Hmmm....yeah, I'm shoah dat's what yous were wonderin'. I have a suggestion fer ya, how bout openin' dat window right ovah dere?" he let out a small chuckle, showing he knew that wasn't what they were talking about at all. "Oh, wonderful idea, Uncle! That's why it's been so hot in here." Gee tried to speak clearly as she made her way to the window and opened it. She turned around and tried to flash him a carefree smile.  
  
"Mmm-hmm. Dat should make it all bettah. Well, I'se on me way upstairs, got meself a paint job ta do."And with that he disappeared. "Oh Fiesty!" Gee exclaimed, burying her face in her hands, "he didn't believe us! He knows something is up!" "Of course he didn't believe us, silly! But it ain't a problem, he doesn't ask bout our poissonal mattahs, remembah? He ain't gonna boddah ya wid any questions, believe me. Now go on!" Gee peeked up from her hands. "You think?" Fiesty nodded. "Oh well, where was I?..." 


	4. Chapter 4

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The third day wasn't all a garden of roses though. Gee and Tax got into an argument. It was something silly, but she gave him an exasperated piece of her mind, which made him storm out of the room, cursing everything from the grass all the way up to the sky and above. She watched him go and instantly regretted what she had done; but he had been so insensitive! She sat down on the bed and a few tears slipped down her face. She stayed there for about an hour, when she finally picked herself up and headed to the washroom to take a shower. Freshened up and hopeful, she headed downstairs into the packed lobby. Stopping at the door, she gave a hopeful glance around the room, searching for Tax. She found him at the far end, sitting with Skittery and Specs, all three of them smoking. Specs slapped his arm and pointed towards the door. Tax didn't bother to look her way, and even from where she was standing she could she the hostile look on his face.  
  
She took a deep breath and made her way into the room, sitting down on a couch, near Fiesty and Spot, who was visiting Manhattan that day. He sat with his arm around Fiesty, who looked as snug as a bug in his hold. Nian-Nyan sat nearby, chatting with Spot and throwing wistful glances in Fiesty's direction. Fiesty didn't even notice, nor did Spot, but Gee did. "Hmm..." she wondered. Spot turned his head towards her as she sat down."Oh. Hey." he turned back to Nian-Nyan, but Fiesty peered up and smiled. "Hiya Gee! Whatcha up to?" Gee tried to swallow her frown in an attempt to return Fiesty's warm greeting." Nothing much, Fiesty. Nothing much." She sat there for a quarter of an hour, gazing at Tax the whole time. He was explicitly ignoring her and suddenly she couldn't take it any longer. Quietly standing up, she quickly walked out of the room, not pausing to answer any questions;"Hey, Gee, where ya goin'?..." Fiesty asked in vain.  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
"Oooohh, so dat's why ya raced outta da room like dat!" "Yes, Fiesty, that was why. I went up to the bunkroom..."  
  
*_*_*_*  
  
Throwing herself on her bed, she cried herself to sleep. The next day, things didn't get much better. She woke up early, not talking to anyone and for once, not at all amused at the morning rituals in the bunkroom. Walking to the circulation office she ignored the singing and delicious smells floating out of the windows. The dreary day matched her mood. She was certain she had ruined everything between them, and seeing him turn his face away when she reached the gate didn't help much. Gee spent a quiet, lonely day, refusing to give any explanations as to why she was in that mood.  
  
Later on, at night, though, they were all gathered in the boys' bunkroom with a cake to surprise Specs for his birthday. She didn't really feel like going, but seeing as the newsies were like a family most of the time, she felt sort of obliged to. So there she was, sitting on a bunk a few feet away from the hub; she watched as the boys pounded Specs on the back and and the girls let out cheers, then Whiskey furtively whispered something in his ear. Tax was standing close to them and gave Gee a few hard stares once in a while. "Well," she thought sarcastically, "at least now he acknowledges my presence."  
  
The crowd slowly dwindled away and the few who stayed behind engaged in some apparently hilarious conversation. She got up and turned around to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder. There it was again, the thrill down her spine. She knew who the hand belonged to without having to look. She remained silent, speechless. Then he kissed her neck. "Tax!" she cried out. "Mmmm?" he laughingly replied. She turned around and stared into his eyes, trying to read what they were saying. She couldn't figure it out though, and he simply shrugged and grabbed hold of her hand. "Didja git a piece of cake?" he asked. "No, I didn't feel like it..." "Goil, do you evah eat?" he blurted out in frustration. She seemed taken aback, afraid that he was mad again. This was so confusing! One minute he was throwing mean glances her way, the other he was kissing her neck, and then suddenly he was blowing up again... He smiled and shrugged once more. "Oh well. Let's go down an' leave dese t'ree ta dere fun up heah," he motioned at Skittery, Specs, and Whiskey who were going through the pile of small gifts that had been offered to the birthday boy. This activity mostly consisted of Skittery remarking how the gifts were probably gimcracks, earning slaps from Whiskey, who in turn earned laughs from Specs; they did look like they were having fun. Gee smiled and complied, following Tax down the stairs.  
  
So things were back to 'normal'. They spent the rest of the night together, sitting up on the roof, away from the commotion. In the midst of a kiss, Tax paused to ask her when she was traveling to England. "Three days from now," she replied, wondering why he'd bring it up then. Her trip had been talked about often in the past weeks, and most of the newsies knew when she was going and when she was coming back. Suddenly she felt sad, remembering how long she'd be away from him. He kissed her again and her mind went blank, concentrating on nothing else but right then and there.  
  
The morning after they retook their jolly routine of greeting each other at the gate, and spending afternoons and evenings together. They kept this up for the following three days. The night of the last day, they didn't sleep at all. They stayed together in the bunkroom (which was empty for no particular reason, Gee thought. "Hmmm....I wonder who else knows about us?") for a long while. Suddenly they heard a noise just outside the door. Tax walked out and returned after a few moments. "Hey, I just saw Nian-Nyan run by cryin'. I t'ink she went up ta da roof. Why dontcha go check on 'er?" "Ok," Gee replied, fumbling with her shirt. She wondered if it had anything to do with Spot...  
  
Just then Snoddy walked into the room, wiping his eyes. "Gah!" he exclaimed, "dey t'rew dis junk in my face!" Tax burst out laughing before he managed to ask "Who? T'rew what?" Gee smiled softly and walked out of the room. That would be the last kiss they ever shared, the last moment they ever spent together, really alone; and she didn't even know it. She bounded up to the roof, and sat quietly behind Nian-Nyan. "Hey,"she said soothingly, "what's the matter?" Nian-Nyan looked up, startled. She wiped away a tear. "Nothin', nothin'," she answered, "I'm fine!" Gee smiled sympathetically and asked, "Mind if I just sit here with you a while, then?" Nian-Nyan shook her head, looking relieved. Turning their gazes up towards the dark sky, they both uttered sighs; . one was of bliss, one of woe. A smattering of stars shone faintly, and the moon cast a light glow over the city. 


	5. Chapter 5

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"Didja evah find out what was wrong wid 'er?" Fiesty asked pensively. Gee shook her head no. "We sat up there almost all night, till Uncle Kloppy came and told me to go make sure everything was ready for my trip. When morning came, everyone got ready to sell and I got ready to go. I walked with them to the distribution gates once more, and Tax was there as always. He motioned for me to stand next to him. I was growing more nervous by the minute, my sister wouldn't arrive so we could go to the port, and I was so tired; he told me to sit on my suitcase," she tittered at the memory.  
  
"When she finally came, he smiled at me and gave me a peck on the cheek. I couldn't really tell if he meant for it to be on my cheek or on my lips," she lightly brushed her fingers over her face, "I mean, everyone was around and we had never done much more than hold hands in front of the others, you know? Well. He gave me a quick hug and said: 'Good bye, Ms. Gee. We'll see y'around.' I smiled teasingly and replied: 'When?" she paused, looking down into her hands. Fiesty was curious, but also cautious not to be too nosy."And?..." she prodded gently.  
  
Gee raised her head and looked at the clock for the umpteenth time that day. "And he just smiled again. And I left. That was it. I haven't heard a word from him in the past four months, which, I might add, were almost hell for me. All I could do was think of him, and of returning here. Ha! Imagine that. Me, in England, actually wanting to return to New York." Fiesty might've been offended by such a comment, but she understood perfectly. Ever since Gee had arrived in New York City, all she spoke about was England, and her old life there, and how it would 'be grand to go back for a visit'. She was awfully surprised that when Gee was finally there, all she could think about was coming back.  
  
Fiesty let out a low whistle. "Whoo.... he really means dat much ta ya, huh?" Gee peered over at her, sitting on the edge of the chair, looking interested and hanging on to every word. She smiled. "Yes, dear Fiesty, he does. Thank you for being such a good listener; indeed, I feel very relieved to have told someone." Now it was Fiesty's turn to blush. She waved off the compliment with her hand. "Awww shucks, don't mention it, Gee. Dat was one helluva great story! Like watchin' a flickah or somet'in. And it still ain't ovah, dat's da best part." "Well. Let's hope the ending turns out to be a good one." Gee replied, optimistically.  
  
Truth was, she thought there was a possibility of the 'fling' becoming something more serious. Although in the beginning she thought her feelings would've stopped there, she was wrong. They had grown frightfully in the past months, and she had prayed every day that Tax was feeling at least one-third of what she was. She chuckled. "Now here I am. Waiting for him to return from some bizarre trip to New Jersey..."  
  
All of a sudden, various noises flew into the room simultaneously: a loud clanging sound from upstairs which probably meant Kloppmann had dropped the paint bucket, verified seconds later by his 'polite' swearing, footsteps approaching the front door of the lodging house, and voices engaged in indistinct chatter. Many voices. Most of them male voices. "Oh!" Gee exclaimed. "He must've arrived!!!" She got up and started to race out of the room. Fiesty looked confused. "Where ya goin'? I t'ought you was waitin' fer him t'arrive!" "I was, Fiesty! But I want to make an appearance, of course!" And with that she ran up the stairs. Fiesty let out a laugh. "Dat goil..." 


	6. Chapter 6

Fiesty went to the door to greet the mass of bodies entering. Tax was in the middle, surrounded by almost all of the guys, and a couple of the girls. Ahead of him were: Racetrack, with his arm around Bookie's shoulders, Specs and Skittery in the midst of a dispute over something, and Whiskey, glaring scornfully at both. Next to him on both sides, Jack, Snoddy, Bumlets, and JD, with a grab-hold of Circle K's waist, were apparently laughing at something he had said. Last but not least, Swifty and Mush followed the group from behind, engaged in some imaginary boxing match.  
  
"Heya Fiesty, what's happenin'?" Tax greeted her. "Hey Tax. Welcome back!" "Thanks, kid. Now, ta da kitchen. I'se starvin'!" This statement was accompanied by whoops and cheers of agreement from the others, who promptly stampeded their way towards the kitchen. "Mmm...weird. He didn't ask nothin' bout Gee..." Fiesty wondered to herself. "Fiesty! Aintcha hungry?" "Whaa-?" she turned to find Circle K paused in the doorway. "Oh, yeah shoah, comin'." she followed her into the kitchen.  
  
Up in the bunkroom, Gee nervously pondered a crucial matter: "He hasn't seen me in over four months, I need to look just perfect. Not too gaudy, nor too drab . What could I possibly put on? Oh bother, I haven't got a thing to wear!" she concluded. Going through her half-unpacked suitcase she flung garments over her head. She was in a near-panic state and about to run around in circles when Fiesty quietly made her way into the room. "Uh, Gee?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"Gaaah!" Gee screeched. Putting her hand over her heart, she sat down on the bed. "Oh Lord, Fiesty, you scared the daylights out of me!" Fiesty paused for a puzzled moment, wondering how she could've scared her if she had been so quiet. She cleared her throat. "Er, sorry. I, um, 'escaped' da kitchen ta come check on you. You'se been heah fer almost an hour!" Gee, still gasping, replied "But I haven't got a thing to wear! What on Earth shall I do?" Fiesty stifled a giggle. "Well, you could try goin' like dat. It would be a shoah fashin statment!" Gee looked down at herself and let out a giggle of her own.  
  
She had on two different petticoats, one beige and boned, one white and frilled. She had been trying to put on her corset but had stopped halfway when she had seen that her stockings were ripped; the corset had then slid down to her waist and there it had remained. Under it, a flimsy undershirt peeked out from all sides, dangerously too lowcut at the chest. To complete her look, she was wearing two different pairs of socks, to go with the two different pairs of shoes she owned, one represented on each foot. Her giggles slowy developed into a steady laugh, matched by Fiesty's. Sliding down onto the floor, she allowed herself a few minutes of laughter before calming down.  
  
"Well, I might be making too big a deal out of this, I suppose." Fiesty managed a half-nod through her laughter. "Fine, fine, I'll put something very simple on." Snatching up a dress, Gee made her way to the the washroom, wriggling out of her mismatched shoes along the way. A few minutes later she emerged looking rather candid, but composed, the rest of her mismatched garments in her hands. Fiesty smiled her approval and said, "Er, maybe we should clean up t'ings a bit aroun' heah befoah we go down. Or else da oddah goils might git a bit...well, ya know, annoyed." Gee was already scurrying around picking up the stray pieces of clothing and half- stuffing them into the suitcase. Fiesty contributed by shoving a few things under the bed. In a few minutes, the room looked... well, as 'tidy' as it had been before Gee had gone on her dressing rampage. "Ya ready now?" Fiesty asked. Gee took another deep breath. Not trusting her voice to answer, she merely nodded. Fiesty grinned with encouragement and they both made their way down the stairs.  
  
By the time they got downstairs, some of the newsies had left the kitchen and moved into the lobby. Most of the other newsies had arrived and joined them. Gee still hadn't seen most of them after she had returned, so her wish to 'make an appearance' was granted as she entered the lobby and was greeted with cheers and exclamations. "Heya Gee! Welcome back, goil!" Cricket chirped, from her perch on the table. "It's nice to have you back, Gee." Nian-Nyan said from her side of the room. Gee was all smiles and chattered away to try and hide the butterflies in her stomach. She quickly scanned the room with her eyes and her heart sank as she realized wasn't there. However, with all the people around her firing questions about her trip, she didn't really have the chance to let it get to her. She moved about, weaving through the chairs and couches and bodies. Occasionally stopping, she engaged in short natters all around, answering questions and asking a few of her own.  
  
While Gee tried to gather up the courage to ask someone about Tax, Fiesty had already caught on and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, there he was, sitting with Bumlets and Swifty around the large wooden table. They seemed to be wrapping up a conversation and getting ready to get up; Fiesty turned around and hurried back to the lobby before they could notice her. She tried to catch Gee's eye as she walked in the room and settled on a couch next to Mix, but Gee was too busy discussing differences between British and New Yorkish slang with JD.  
  
Gee felt a familiar presence in the room. Not wanting to appear too eager, she cautiously looked out of the corner of her eye towards the door, and there he stood. Bumlets walked in behind him and practically tipped over the chair Illusion was sitting on, by trying to sit on her lap. Both laughing, they sat down on the floor. Swifty took the chair and positioned it near Kody's. Gee was aware of all the motion going on around her, but it wasn't really sinking in. She tried to continue her discussion with JD but it was becoming harder and harder. Tax was just standing there at the door, staring at her in a sort of disbelief.  
  
"What da heck is his problem?" Fiesty thought, "Why doesn't he just walk over to da goil an' greet 'er? Dey haven't seen each oddah in months..." A few more minutes passed, continuous chatter going on. Tax started moving. By then Gee was talking to Racetrack, halfheartedly laughing at a joke. She continued to monitor every movement of Tax's. He walked into the room,opposite from where she was standing. Plopping down on a couch, he started talking to Specs and Mush. She took a deep breath, gave Race a last pained smile (she had heard only half of what he said and had no idea if it was really funny or not), and walked over to other side of the room. Fiesty followed with her eyes, worried. So far the guy hadn't shown a single sign of interest and she had seen how interested Gee was...  
  
"Hey Mush, Specs, Tax", she shakily said, stopping right in front of Mush. He and Specs smiled at her and continued to discuss whatever it was they were discussing. "Hey Gee." Tax answered, in a tone she couldn't read. She just stood there, not knowing what to do. Still staring at her, without a word he patted the seat next to him. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. Across the room, so did Fiesty. Gee sat down and he put his feet up on the table, then stretched his arm behind her. He didn't place it on her shoulders, but directly behind them on the couch. "Why is he this mysterious?", she mumbled in her thoughts. "Well, you could've said hi!" she blurted out. Specs and Mush paused their convo and looked at her; then they resumed. Tax, looking nonchalant, replied, "I was goin' to but you was too busy talkin' wid da whole woild." She laughed. "I was not! I was just answering some questions." "Yeah, well whatevah, you didn't look at me." She didn't quite know what to say so she just remained silent. They sat there, for an hour or so, not talking. Everyone around them was talking and arguing and laughing, but those two couldn't seem to find a word to say to each other; odd as it was, after 4 whole months, there seemed to be nothing to talk about. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Gee? Psssst, Gee!" Fiesty whispered. It was very late and she had just entered the bunkroom through the window. She had been in Brooklyn, having dinner with Spot. Well, having dinner may be too a elegant a term; they had just eaten together on the docks. "Mmm? Whaa? Who?..." Gee mumbled, barely able to open one eye. "Gee, it's me, Fiesty! Wake up, tell me what happened!" "Will ya shut up ovah dere?!!" Mischief grumbled from her bunk, "If ya don' wanna sleep, I don't care, 'cause I do!" Fiesty ignored her. "Gee! Get up!!" "Fiesty...there's nothing to tell... go to sleep and we'll talk tomorrow, ok?" Fiesty took this as a negative sign; surely nothing to tell meant that nothing had happened between Gee and Tax. Empathetically feeling down, she gave Gee a quick pat on the shoulder and went to bed.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Yet another day dawned in busy New York City. People bustled about, minding their own business. In the strive to survive, nobody had much time to care about what others did with their lives. The boys and girls at the lodging house slowly woke up, shrugged off the sleepiness, and made their way to the distribution center. As always, they walked together in a bunch. Although life in the city meant hard work, these kids tried to make it enjoyable to some extent. By sticking together like a family, they made things relatively easier.  
  
Gee waited for everyone to leave, disregarding the attempts to get her out of bed. Not even Fiesty could convince her to move. When she was certain everyone was gone, she got up and went about getting changed and washed up. Looking at her messy suitcase, she laughed as she thought about the scene she had made yesterday, trying to choose the 'perfect outfit'. She sighed. He hadn't even noticed it... Oh well. Today, she didn't really care what she wore. Today, she didn't really care about much at all. She walked downstairs wearing an old green dress and a sullen look. Her wood- colored hair was barely combed and she had dark circles underneath her black eyes. Trying as hard as she could to avoid an encounter with Kloppmann, she managed to exit the lodging house quietly. The day was slightly chilly, and she hunched over, walking against the wind. She wasn't going to the distribution center.  
  
It was hard not to run into anyone she knew in Manhattan. The newsies spread out all over the place, covering just about every inch of the area. Going to another borough wasn't really an option; although Spot Conlon occasionally visited Manhattan, the rest of the Brooklynites were mainly not on borrowing terms with Manhattan newsies. That crossed out Brooklyn. The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island were all known for being a little on the hostile side. The last thing Gee needed right now was to be approached by some horny rubberneck with an illusion of grandeur about him, accusing her of being a rube. She decided to stick around Manhattan. She walked towards Central Park, hoping to God that she wouldn't run into anybody.  
  
There was a baseball game going on in the park. Gee made herself comfortable on a patch of grass and settled in to watch. Though rugby was the most popular sport back home, she had always been more interested in baseball. Running around chasing, then crashing into other people didn't exactly appeal to her. Baseball, however, had more technique, and in her eyes, required more skills. Her mother would've never allowed her to play, though. "It wasn't proper for girls to do so," she'd say over and over again. For a moment Gee teared up, remembering her mom. Then the ball fell right next to her and jolted her back into reality. "Miss! Miss! Are you alright?" one of the players asked, visibly concerned. She gave him a funny look. "I'm perfectly fine! The ball didn't even come my way." She proceeded to pick up the ball and prepare to throw it back. "That's quite alright, miss. I'll git it, don't strain yerself." another player said. Gee ignored him and threw the ball with all her might. It landed perfectly in the catcher's mitt. The whole team stared at her in amazement. She smiled modestly.  
  
They must be thinking I know how to play, she thought. If only I could teach them my tactic...she laughed. What she had done was simple: she visualized the ball as being everything that was eating up her insides; Tax, in particular. That done, all she could want was to get the darned thing as far away from her as possible. Which she did. It was still amazing though. They'd be as shocked at her tactic as they would be at her actually knowing how to play. She sighed. Women want to have fun too, she thought.  
  
The game continued and she focused avidly, trying to engulf every aspect of it. She liked being so submerged in something. It took her mind off other things. She heard a quiet rustle behind her. Assuming it was a squirrel, she didn't turn around. Then she heard it again. Turning her head, she saw JD standing there. "Oh. Hello." she said quietly. "Hey, Gee," he answered, just as quietly. "Y'alright?" "I'm fine," she declared firmly, "why do you ask?" He sat down. "Aw, no particular reason...just somethin' I like to do. Ask if people are alright. Hey there!" he shouted, waving wildly at a passerby. "What are you doing?" Gee hissed. "You alright, fellow?" JD continued. The man gave him an odd look and quickened his pace. JD looked at her with a goofy smile. She let out a laugh. "Ok, ok, I get the point. Thank you for asking, but I'm fine." she insisted. "Well, if ya say so," he replied, not wanting to push any further. He got up and dusted off the seat of his pants. "See y'around," he said softly, before leaving. She recognized Circle K a few feet away, waiting for JD. When he reached her he gave her a quick peck on the lips and encircled her waist. Both of them looked back at Gee for a moment; Circle K waved, and they walked off.  
  
Was I mean? Gee wondered. I don't think so. But, heavens, what could I possibly tell him? That I'm not fine at all? I'm not alright, I'm torn apart inside? Should I have explained to him the whole damned story, how... She shook her head before allowing her thoughts to go any further. Her day was ruined once more. Getting up, she left the park and started walking. This time, she really didn't know where she was going.  
  
Back at the lodging house...  
  
"Nian-Nyan, will ya get away from dat window?" Mix asked. "Yer annoyin' me!" Nian-Nyan remained planted in her spot. "Where's Gee? I'se worried." Blizzard sighed. "Dat's da millionth time ya ask that in da past...seven minutes! Stop it already!" Fiesty got up from her chair and joined Nian-Nyan at the window. "I'se worried too. She's been gone since da mornin'! An' she didn't pass by the dc, eiddah, we asked!" Mischief glared at both of them. "Quit worryin', will ya? She knows her way around. She knows what she's doin'. When she wants ta, she'll come back. An' if she wanted you two to be so interested, she'd talk to you instead of ignorin' everyone like she did dis mornin'." Fiesty almost opened her mouth to respond to that, but remembered her conversation with Gee was to be kept a secret. She heaved a sigh. Nobody else knew about Tax. So they couldn't understand why she was so worried.  
  
"Got something to say?", Illusion asked, a knowing smirk on her face. Fiesty pretended to look puzzled. "Mmm? Don't know what yer talkin' 'bout," she said, her eyes darting away from Illusion's stare. "Think ya know a secret?" Illusion continued, a taunting tone in her voice. Fiesty couldn't help but gasp. "Stop it," Moneybags said, quietly but firmly. Tension started creeping into the room. Fiesty looked around. "Is dere somethin ya'd like to let me know?" she voiced, starting to get annoyed. Circle K snickered, "Nah. I t'ink ya know everythin' already. Well, almost everythin'..." Illusion picked up where she left off, "Yeah. Ya didn't know dat we knew, now did ya?" Fiesty glared at all of them. "I. Have. No. Idea. What. Yer. Talking. 'Bout." she uttered through clenched teeth. Mix intervened, "Hey, how 'bout we drop da whole issue, huh? Whadda ya say?" Kody walked over to Fiesty and tried to calm her down. "They're just messin' wid you," she said in a soothing voice. Fiesty shrugged her off. Whiskey stood up, shushing them all momentarily. "Aw, quit da childish act, will ya? All of ya. Its nobody's business what oddah people do wid deir lives, or who dey do it wid. I, fer one, don't give a damn. Sheesh." She exited the room, swearing.  
  
Fiesty was confused. She looked around again. "Will somebody tell me what da hell is goin' on? Are any of ya accusin' me of cheatin' on Spot? 'Cause if ya are..." she said, a threat in her voice. Mushie spoke up. "Er, Fiesty? I don't t'ink dey're talkin' 'bout ya." "Are ya...referrin' to Gee?", she questioned again. Everyone remained silent for a moment. Blizzard looked up from her bunk; she didn't really want to have a part in this, but she couldn't help admitting it was getting interesting. Cricket was the first to talk. "And we'se got a winnah..." she muttered, not too loudly. Fiesty leaned back against the window. This was becoming too much for her to deal with. "Alright. Someone speak up. Illusion? Mischief? Circle K?", she questioned, targetting the ones who seemed to be more excited about the whole issue. All she got were muffled snickers. She turned to the remaining girls. "Hmm? Anyone?" It was so quiet that if mice spoke, their voices would be amplified in the room.  
  
"Chirp. Chirp." Fiesty looked at Cricket, who was now doubled over laughing. She managed to sputter, "well, crickets chirp when its quiet," and went back to laughing. Fiesty rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "I give up. If ya don't got da guts ta tell me what yer jeerin' bout, fine." With that she turned her back to the room and continued looking out the window. The girls looked at each other, wondering if they should string her along even more or just tell her now. Eventually, Moneybags spoke up. "Gee an' Tax. Dat's what everyone's talkin' 'bout." Fiesty jerked back around. "What? How do ya know?" she practically shouted. "Shh!" Mix said. "It's late! Don't wanna poke up Kloppmann, do ya?" Fiesty looked at her. "You knew too? And you? And you?" she repeated over and over. From Blizzard looking solemn on her bed, Kody biting her lip and looking away, Cricket laughing; Mushie expressionless, Mix whistling, Moneybags sighing, to Nian-Nyan staring out the window. Circle K, Illusion, and Mischief had never stopped smirking. "Awww, she's hoit! She t'ought it was a big secret, and she was da only one who knew about it!", Illusion jeered.  
  
Fiesty glared at everyone. "Hoit?"she scoffed, "I couldn't care less. Gee can tell whatevah she wants ta whoever she wants." "Ah, ah, ah..." Circle K countered, shaking her head and waving her finger in unison, "Gee didn't tell no one anythin'." Mischief continued, "Tax, on da oddah hand..." Fiesty got up once more. "Why, dat..." Moneybags sighed again. "He tole everyone, Fiesty. All da guys, dat is." Kody nodded in agreement. "Every last one. He said ta keep it a secret, but he meant da exact opposite." Fiesty sat back down. "Muttonhead!" she exclaimed. Then she thought about Gee. How would she react to this?  
  
The door opened and everyone looked up, half-expecting Gee to walk in. It was Bookie though, coming up from the lobby to get her extra deck of cards. She stopped and gave them all an odd look. "I'se nevah seen ya so silent. Someone die or somethin'?" Mix shook her head, "Fiesty here just found out what a big mouth Tax has," she said bluntly. "Ohhh, I see," Bookie replied. Fiesty looked at the floor. "Everyone knew...pooah Gee..." Nian-Nyan tried to console her, "Well, Fiesty, we all found out separately. Its not like it was announced or somethin'." Mischief snickered, "Not quite. But tellin' da guys is da same t'ing as makin' an announcement. Dey don't only improve da headlines in da papes dey sell." "I'se shoah half of its exaggeration. Ya know how guys talk," Kody said. "So each of yer guys tole ya, and ya just happened ta tell each oddah?" Fiesty asked, her voice dripping with disapproval.  
  
"Not really, but, well, Gee don't exactly hide it, ya know? We didn't talk 'bout it till yesterday. Befoah dat, we all knew on our own. But yesterday..." Cricket finally managed to put a serious word in the conversation. Blizzard decided to pipe up, "Everyone noticed da way she acted around him. It was impossible not to." Fiesty sighed. "Worthless...dat's what he is. Wondah why all da oddah goils he dated left da lodgin' house," she continued, sarcastically. When nobody said anything, she knew what she was thinking was true. Ready to explode, she exclaimed: "How come I don't know dese t'ings?" Nian-Nyan gave her a stony glare. "You'se practically livin' in Brooklyn lately." Fiesty didn't respond. She had been spending much more time there lately. Nian-Nyan took another glimpse out the window, and announced: "I see her. Gee's comin'."  
  
The bunkroom became silent once more, as they all strained to hear the door opening downstairs. Footsteps tentatively sounded up the stairs, finally stopping in front of the open door. Gee ignored their invading eyes and walked straight to the washroom. Her face and arms were covered with soot. Fiesty bounded after her. "Gee," she said decidely, "dere's somethin' we bettah talk about. Now." Gee looked inquisitive, but asked nothing. Every pair of eyes in the room followed the two girls as they passed by the beds and walked out the door. The silence continued. Nobody intended to eavesdrop, though. Most of the girls got under the covers and eventually engaged in futile conversations. The fun side, the taunting and teasing, was over now. The serious part had just begun. 


End file.
